Floor construction



May 5, 1931. E. N. MURPHY FLOOR CONSTRUCTION Filed July 17" 4 Z7206222071 -Zfyereit fil Mia/79kg.

Patented May 5, 1931 1' umrisn STATES P TE I 1v. MURPHY, or CHICAGO,ILLINOIS, AssIenoR, BY Mnsnn ASSIGNMENTS, r

'zronns-lvmnvrnnn snLns CORPORATION, A CORPORATION onnnLAwARE FLOORCONSTRUCTION Application filed July 17,

. construction, and in others of like nature, to

or immediately thereafter.

rest the nailing strip on the concrete floor through the medium of asupport embedded in the floor before the concrete has set, that is,either during the pouring of the concrete, The support is provided withupstanding sides, and during the time between embedding the support andsecuring the nailing strips thereto, these upstanding sides are leftexposed .andfsubject to mutilation by negligent and careless Workmen. Itoften happens that material to be used in the course of construction ishauled to the higher levels of the building and left to lie upon theconcrete floor until needed. The use of the floor for this purposequickly destroys the upstanding flanges, or renders them useless to suchan extent that the nailing strips can not be made to align. Anotherpractical difficulty arose in the use of the prior art devices. Havingonce become rigid- 1y set in the concrete floor, the support could notbe adjusted to permit levelingof the nail ing strip, from end to end,and with respect to the adjacent strips: Either wedges or in serts hadto be employed, or else the supports could not be used. 7

Briefly, my invention comprises a support which is adapted to besecuredto the nailing strip before the latter is placed upon the concretefloor. Thus the obvious diificulties encountered heretofore areovercome, and as a result the support may be positioned-on the floorwithout first subjecting it to destruction. The nailing strip is laid onthe floor with the supports attaohedthereto. Cement is slushed under thesupports to build 1924. Serial No. 726,471.

them up to the required level, should the rough concrete floor beunlev'el or irregular. Additional cement is then used to cover pantially the base of the supports, in order to bond the same to theconcrete floor.

The supports are provided with struckup lugs or lips for laterallybracing the nailing strip and for receiving the fastening nails orscrews. The lips are offset and oppositely disposed. An advantage isobtained in OK- setting the lips, as a more compact arrangement isobtained, with a maximum engaging surface between the lips and nailingstrips.

In additiomthe offset feature affords a lateral grip of greatereffectiveness, and provides for economy, as the majority of the materialbetween the lips is utilized in forming the lips. A further importantadvantage lies in the adaptability of the supports to nailing strips andin overcoming any difficulty "that may be encountered by anyirregularity in the nailing strips, such irregularity being denoted byWarped portions, a

variance in thickness, or some other similar defect. l/Vith the lipsoffset, lips of maximum height may be obtained from a minimum amount ofspace,t'he space in this instance being equal to the width of thenailing strip.

square. Thus it will be apparent that the lips may be provided with aheight equal. to the height of the nailing strip, but as I's'hallhereinafter point out, it is preferable to have the heightgof the lipsslightly less than that of the nailing strip, in order to mm,

above mentioned irregularpensate for the ities. I V

In order to obtain a better understand-j Nailing strips are usually ingof the marked advantages obtained through the use of a support embodyingmy invention, a brief description of the difficulties involved in layinga finishing floor to a concrete floor, infireproof construe tion, willbe given. Usually, where steel girders are employed, itmi's customary tobuild .up the concrete around the girders, causing the floor to assumean arched for mation, which results in a varying thickness in the floorbetween girders. The lower portion in the center of the arch causesconsiderable trouble when the finishing floor is laid. If countersunksupports are employed, it is apparent that they are rendered useless atthe point where the floor arches; and it has been found thatconsiderable loss is experienced when these supports embedded in theconcrete, can not be raised to the required height. It practicallyinvolves the substitution of new supports throughout the building, inorder to lay the finishing floor at the required level.

In the construction of fire proof buildings, especially those of mammothsize, architects often specify a certain construction which is laterchanged. Any step taken prior to this time and affected by the change isof course a loss. Permanently laid supports are most always discardedwhen a change in construction is required. Thus it is apparent that theuse of a support, such as I have disclosed herein, eliminates thepossibility of such loss.

In order to apprise those skilled in the art how to construct andpractice my invention, I shall now describe alternative embodimentsthereof, as illustrated in the accompanying drawings which form a parthereof.

In the drawings:

Figure 1 is a fragmentary perspective view of a floor structureembodying my invention;

F ig. 2 is a perspective view of a support, embodying my invention,about to be fastened to a sleeper or nailing strip;

Fig. 3 is a similar view, illustrating these two members fastened;

Fig. 4 is a sectional detail view, illustrating the support resting 011filling cement to raise the nailing strip to a desired level;

Fig. 5 is a similar view, illustrating cement poured over the base ofthe support to bond the same;

Fig. 6 is an alternative form of support; and

Fig. 7. is a form of support adapted to be secured to one side of anailing strip.

Referring more particularly to the drawings, the construction showncomprises a lowor or rough floor 10, which may be of any preferredconstruction, the form selected for the purposes of illustration, beingconstructed solely by concrete, although my invention is equally capableof use in wooden, rough floors, and peculiarly adaptable for use inconcrete constructions having arched floors. The. finishing floor 11 iscarried upon and nailed to a series of transversely extending nailingstrips 12; and supports 15, to which my invention is chiefly directed,carry the nailing strips 12 upon the rough floor 10.

The improved form of support 15 shown in Fig. 2, is made preferably ofmetal and comprises a base 16, which is substantially continuous fromedge to edge, to afford a maximum grip between itself and the bondingcement which is poured over a portion thereof, as will be laterexplained. Base 16 is preferably rectangular, having perforated ends 18,the perforations 19 being provided therein in any number desired. Theseperforations may be arranged differently from what is shown in thedrawings, it being within the scope of this invention to provide slotsextending inwardly from the end edges in lieu of the perforations.

Lugs or lips 20 extend upwardly from the center of the support 15, inoffset relation, being oppositely disposed so that they will engage eachside of the nailing strip 12. It will be noted from Fig. 2 that thisnailing strip 12 is adapted to fit between the lips 2-0. Consequentlythe distance between the lips 20 is preferably equal to the width of thestrip. As before pointed out, the strip 12 is generally square in crosssection. By offsetting the lips 20, a maximum height may be obtained. Asthe result of their oppositely disposed relation, the formation ofeither lip from the material in the base 16 will not interfere with theformation of the other.

The outer edges 21 of the lips 20 are out along a line parallel to thelongitudinal edges 22 of the support 15, while the inner edges 23diverge upwardly and are out along lines parallel to each other, butoblique to the longitudinal edges 22. A separating strip 25 results andserves to reinforce the center of the support 15.

I preferably employ nails 26 for securing the supports to the nailingstrips, which nails pass through holes provided in the lips 20.

After the supports 15 are secured to the nailing strips, the latter arelaid in place on the rough floor 10. In Fig. l, I have illustrated thesupport resting upon a layer of cement, which is preferably used toelevate the nailing strip to the proper level when the floor 10 isuneven. If direct engagement'of the support with the rough floor willbring the upper face of the nailing strip to the proper level, thislayer of cement is unnecessary. However, in case it does not, thenailing strip is held at the proper level and cement slushed under thebase of the support. After the support has been properly set, additionalcement may be poured over the ends 18 and allowed to run into theapertures 19, whereupon it becomes bonded to the floor 10. It is, ofcourse, to be understood, that this particular procedure is notnecessary in order to secure the support to the rough floor 10, as itmay be deemed equally as expedient first to pour cement upon the floorand then to push the support there into until the cement hassufiiciently worked its way around the ends 18 and through the apertures19, and the desired level has been reached.

In order to compensate for any irregularity in the height of the nailingstrip, as herein before set out, the lips 20 are cut so as not toextendthe entire height of the strip. Asindicated at 27 in Fig. 1, ashort space is left so that the apex of the lips 20 will never extendbeyond the nailing strip and interfere with the finishing floor 11.

In Fig. 5, I have shown a modified form of support. The base thereof issubstantially the same as before, while, the lips 20 are slightlydifferent in design. It will be noted that instead of being outindividually from the base, they are formed out of a square cut from thecenter of the base. The width of this square is preferably equal to thewidth of the nailing strip. In order to shorjen the height of the lips20 slightly, to compensate for the aforesaid irregularities inthenailing strip, each lip is cut short of the width of the square with theresult that portions 28 remain at one side of the opposite lip.

I also contemplate using my support- 18 in such a manner that it willnot embrace both sides of the nailing strip 12. Such a form isillustrated in Fig. 7. The support therein shown has been formed bycutting the support shown in Fig. 6 substantially in half. It ispossible of course to form the support shown in Fig. 7 from a singlepiece.

of material, and not resort first to making the one shown in Fig. 6 andthereafter to cut it in two. In practise this form of support is used bystaggering them alternately along both sides of the nailing strip, sothat substantially the same eflect is had as in the use of the formsshown in Figs. 2 and 6.

Without further elaboration, the foregoing will so fully explain thegist of my invention, that others may, by applying current knowledge,readily adapt the same for use under varying conditions of service,without eliminating certain features which may properly be said toconstitute the essential items of novelty involved, which items areintended to be defined and secured to me by g: the following claims:

I claim 1. In a building floor construction, the combination with upperand lower floors, of a plate-like member resting upon the lower floorand serving as a support for carrying the upper floor, a nailing stripcarried by said support, said upper floor adapted to be fastened to saidstrip, a pair of oppositely disposed offset lugs extending upwardly fromsaid support for engaging opposite sides of said nailing strip,said lugsbeing formed by incising said support along two lines which are parallelto each other and to the longitudinal sides of the support, then againincising said support obliquely to the parallel lines so that eachoblique. incision meets a parallel line, the meeting points constitutinthe apexes of triangular portions definedIoy said incisions and the linejoining their ends opposite to the apexes, said triangular portionsbeing bent perpendicularly on said joining lines whereby said lugs areformed offset and oppositely disposedand of lengths equal to thedistance between them.

2. In a building floor construction, the combination with upper andlower floors and a nailing strip for said upper floor, of a support forcarrying said nailing strip upon said lower floor, said support adaptedto be fastened to said nailing strip before being laid upon said lowerfloor whereby any unevenness of the lower floor may be taken up by afiller before the support is thus laid, and a plurality of lips on saidsupport serving to embrace the nailing stripv and to receive thefastening elements for holding the strip to the support, said lips beingoppositely disposed and in offset relation.

3. A chair for supporting 'a sleeper, or nailing strip for fire-prooffloor construction or the like comprising, in combination, asubstantially flat horizontal base portion adapted to be laid on aconcrete lower floor after the concrete has set, said base portionsupporting the nailing strip and a finishing floor fastened thereto,oppositely disposed off-set lugs bent vertically from said base portionfor laterally embracing the vertical sides of said nailing strip, andfastening means passing through said lugs and said nailing strip toprevent upward displacement of the latter from said chair.

4,. A chair for supporting a sleeper or nailing strip for fire-prooffloor construction or the like comprising, in combination, asubstantially flat horizontal base portion adapted to be laid on aconcrete lower floor after the concrete has set or substantially so,said base portion supporting the nailing strip, and a finishing floorsupported by said nailing strip, oppositely disposed lugs bentvertically from the central portion of said base portion forlaterally'embracing said nailing strip, said oppositely disposed lugsbeing spaced from each other a distance substan- EVERETT N. MURPHY.

